Survey Results Discussion (Webinar): What Is It Like to Work in a Library Right Now?

Survey Results Discussion - What's It Like to Work in a Library Right Now
A Library 2.0 Webinar with Steve Hargadon, Dr. Steve Albrecht, & Crystal Trice

OVERVIEW: 

What is it really like to work in a library right now? To find out, we asked and more than 1,570 library workers answered, with over 1,800 written comments. Join us for a free, candid webinar walking through what the survey reveals about safety, burnout, staffing, recognition, political pressure, and why people stay in the profession. Bring your questions; we'll leave time for discussion.

The recording and presentation slides will be available to all who register.

DATE: Thursday, June 25th, 2026, 3:00 - 3:00 pm US - Eastern Time

COST:

• FREE

TO REGISTER: 

• CLICK HERE

OVERVIEW:

The picture that emerged from the survey (full results HERE) is of stretched institutions held together by their people: strong collegial support and a durable commitment to the profession, set against real strain on resources, staffing, emotional load, and — for many public-facing staff — safety and conflict.

 

A few of the topline findings we'll discuss:

• What's holding up: about 85% say their colleagues support one another, roughly three-quarters feel physically safe at work, and about 75% still intend to stay in the profession.
• Where the strain shows: nearly 7 in 10 feel expected to provide services beyond what their resources allow, more than half report feeling emotionally drained by the end of the workday, and close to half say their library isn't adequately staffed.
• The uneven burden: experiences differ sharply by setting and role--for example, harassment from the public is reported far more often in public libraries than in school or academic ones.
• In their own words: recurring themes from the open comments, including pay, understaffing, the growing social-services role, and political and book-challenge pressure.

We'll also put the library numbers in context alongside published figures from adjacent public-service professions, and leave time for live Q&A and discussion.

 

YOUR HOSTS:

STEVE HARGADON

Steve is the founder and director of the Learning Revolution Project, the director of Library 2.0, the host of the Future of Education and Reinventing School interview series, and has been the founder and chair (or co-chair) of a number of annual worldwide virtual events, including the Global Education Conference and the Library 2.0 series of mini-conferences and webinars. He has run over 100 large-scale events, online and in person.

Steve's work has been around the democratization of learning and professional development. He supported and encouraged the development of thousands of other education-related networks, particularly for professional development, and he pioneered the use of live, virtual, and peer-to-peer education conferences. He popularized the idea of "unconferences" for educators, and for over a decade, he ran a large annual ed-tech unconference, now called Hack Education (previously EduBloggerCon).

Steve himself built one of the first modern social networks for teachers in 2007 (Classroom 2.0), developed the "conditions of learning" exercise for local educational conversation and change, and inherited and grew the Library 2.0 online community. He may or may not have invented an early version of the Chromebook which he demo'd to Google. He blogs, speaks, and consults on education, educational technology, and education reform, and his virtual and physical events and online communities have over 150,000 members.

His professional website is SteveHargadon.com.

DR. STEVE ALBRECHT

Since 2000, Dr. Steve Albrecht has trained tens of thousands of library employees in 28+ states, live and online, in service, safety, security, and leadership. His programs for both staff and library leaders are fast, entertaining, and provide tools that can be put to use immediately in the library workspace. His books include:

The Library Leader’s Guide to Employee Coaching: Building a Performance Culture One Meeting at a Time (in-press, Bloomsbury, 2026)

The Library Leader’s Guide to Human Resources: Keeping it Real, Legal, and Ethical (Rowman & Littlefield, 2025)

The Safe Library: Keeping Users, Staff, and Collections Secure (Rowman & Littlefield, 2023)

Library Security: Better Communication, Safer Facilities (ALA, 2015)

Steve holds a doctoral degree in Business Administration (D.B.A.), an M.A. in Security Management, a B.S. in Psychology, and a B.A. in English. He is board-certified in HR, security management, employee coaching, and threat assessment. He has written 28 books on business, security, and leadership. He provides a loving home for four rescue dogs. 

More on The Safe Library at thesafelibrary.com. Follow on X (Twitter) at @thesafelibrary and on YouTube @thesafelibrary. Dr. Albrecht's professional website is drstevealbrecht.com

CRYSTAL TRICE

With over two decades of experience in libraries and education, Crystal Trice is passionate about helping people work together more effectively in transformative, but practical ways. As founder of Scissors & Glue, LLC, Crystal partners with libraries and schools to bring positive changes through interactive training and hands-on workshops. She is a Certified Scrum Master and has completed a Masters Degree in Library & Information Science, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education and Psychology. She is a frequent national presenter on topics ranging from project management to conflict resolution to artificial intelligence. She currently resides near Portland, Oregon, with her extraordinary husband, fuzzy cows, goofy geese, and noisy chickens. Crystal enjoys fine-tip Sharpies, multi-colored Flair pens, blue painters tape, and as many sticky notes as she can get her hands on.

 

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